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Sahan K, Lyle K, Carley H, Hallowell N, Parker MJ, Lucassen AM. Ethical preparedness in genomic medicine: how NHS clinical scientists navigate ethical issues. J Med Ethics 2024:jme-2023-109692. [PMID: 38320848 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2023-109692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Much has been published about the ethical issues encountered by clinicians in genetics/genomics, but those experienced by clinical laboratory scientists are less well described. Clinical laboratory scientists now frequently face navigating ethical problems in their work, but how they should be best supported to do this is underexplored. This lack of attention is also reflected in the ethics tools available to clinical laboratory scientists such as guidance and deliberative ethics forums, developed primarily to manage issues arising within the clinic.We explore what ethical issues are being experienced by clinical scientists, how they think such issues could be best analysed and managed, and whether their practice might be enhanced by more situated approaches to ethics deliberation and practice such as ethical preparedness. From thematic analysis of cases presented by clinical scientists at a specially convened meeting of the UK Genethics Forum, we derived three main ethical themes: (1) the redistribution of labour and responsibilities resulting from the practice of genomic medicine; (2) the interpretation and certainty of results and (3) the proposal that better standardisation and consistency of ethical approaches (for example, more guidelines and policy) could resolve some of the challenges arising.We argue that although standardisation is important for promoting shared understandings of good (including ethical) practice, supplementary approaches to enhance and sustain ethical preparedness will be important to help clinical scientists and others in the recently expanded genetic/genomic medicine environment foster quality ethical thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Sahan
- Ethox Centre, University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford, UK
| | - Kate Lyle
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, UK
- Clinical Ethics, Law, and Society (CELS) Oxford, Nuffield Dept of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Helena Carley
- Clinical Ethics, Law, and Society (CELS) Oxford, Nuffield Dept of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- South East Thames Regional Genetics Service, Guy's & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Nina Hallowell
- Ethox Centre, University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael J Parker
- Ethox Centre, University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford, UK
| | - Anneke M Lucassen
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, UK
- Clinical Ethics, Law, and Society (CELS) Oxford, Nuffield Dept of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Personalised Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Loong L, Huntley C, McRonald F, Santaniello F, Pethick J, Torr B, Allen S, Tulloch O, Goel S, Shand B, Rahman T, Luchtenborg M, Garrett A, Barber R, Bedenham T, Bourn D, Bradshaw K, Brooks C, Bruty J, Burghel GJ, Butler S, Buxton C, Callaway A, Callaway J, Drummond J, Durkie M, Field J, Jenkins L, McVeigh TP, Mountford R, Nyanhete R, Petrides E, Robinson R, Scott T, Stinton V, Tellez J, Wallace AJ, Yarram-Smith L, Sahan K, Hallowell N, Eccles DM, Pharoah P, Tischkowitz M, Antoniou AC, Evans DG, Lalloo F, Norbury G, Morris E, Burn J, Hardy S, Turnbull C. Germline mismatch repair (MMR) gene analyses from English NHS regional molecular genomics laboratories 1996-2020: development of a national resource of patient-level genomics laboratory records. J Med Genet 2023; 60:669-678. [PMID: 36572524 PMCID: PMC10359571 DOI: 10.1136/jmg-2022-108800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe national patterns of National Health Service (NHS) analysis of mismatch repair (MMR) genes in England using individual-level data submitted to the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) by the NHS regional molecular genetics laboratories. DESIGN Laboratories submitted individual-level patient data to NDRS against a prescribed data model, including (1) patient identifiers, (2) test episode data, (3) per-gene results and (4) detected sequence variants. Individualised per-laboratory algorithms were designed and applied in NDRS to extract and map the data to the common data model. Laboratory-level MMR activity audit data from the Clinical Molecular Genetics Society/Association of Clinical Genomic Science were used to assess early years' missing data. RESULTS Individual-level data from patients undergoing NHS MMR germline genetic testing were submitted from all 13 English laboratories performing MMR analyses, comprising in total 16 722 patients (9649 full-gene, 7073 targeted), with the earliest submission from 2000. The NDRS dataset is estimated to comprise >60% of NHS MMR analyses performed since inception of NHS MMR analysis, with complete national data for full-gene analyses for 2016 onwards. Out of 9649 full-gene tests, 2724 had an abnormal result, approximately 70% of which were (likely) pathogenic. Data linkage to the National Cancer Registry demonstrated colorectal cancer was the most frequent cancer type in which full-gene analysis was performed. CONCLUSION The NDRS MMR dataset is a unique national pan-laboratory amalgamation of individual-level clinical and genomic patient data with pseudonymised identifiers enabling linkage to other national datasets. This growing resource will enable longitudinal research and can form the basis of a live national genomic disease registry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Loong
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Catherine Huntley
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Fiona McRonald
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
| | - Francesco Santaniello
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Health Data Insight CIC, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanna Pethick
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
| | - Bethany Torr
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Sophie Allen
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Oliver Tulloch
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Health Data Insight CIC, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shilpi Goel
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Health Data Insight CIC, Cambridge, UK
| | - Brian Shand
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Health Data Insight CIC, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tameera Rahman
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Health Data Insight CIC, Cambridge, UK
| | - Margreet Luchtenborg
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
- Centre for Cancer, Society & Public Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alice Garrett
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Richard Barber
- Central and South Genomic Laboratory Hub, West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tina Bedenham
- West Midlands, Oxford and Wessex Genomic Laboratory Hub, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - David Bourn
- North East and Yorkshire Genomic Laboratory Hub, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Kirsty Bradshaw
- East Midlands and East of England Genomics Laboratory, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Claire Brooks
- North Thames Genomic Laboratory Hub, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jonathan Bruty
- East Genomic Laboratory Hub, Cambridge University Hospitals Genomic Laboratory, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - George J Burghel
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Samantha Butler
- Central and South Genomic Laboratory Hub, West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory, Birmingham, UK
| | - Chris Buxton
- Bristol Genetics Laboratory, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK
| | - Alison Callaway
- Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory, Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Salisbury, UK
| | - Jonathan Callaway
- Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory, Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Salisbury, UK
| | - James Drummond
- East Genomic Laboratory Hub, Cambridge University Hospitals Genomic Laboratory, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Miranda Durkie
- Sheffield Diagnostic Genetics Service, North East and Yorkshire Genomic Laboratory Hub, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Joanne Field
- East Midlands and East of England Genomics Laboratory, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Lucy Jenkins
- North Thames Genomic Laboratory Hub, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Terri P McVeigh
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
- Cancer Genetics Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Roger Mountford
- North West Genomic Laboratory Hub (Liverpool), Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rodney Nyanhete
- Sheffield Diagnostic Genetics Service, North East and Yorkshire Genomic Laboratory Hub, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Evgenia Petrides
- West Midlands, Oxford and Wessex Genomic Laboratory Hub, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Rachel Robinson
- Yorkshire and North East Genomic Laboratory Hub, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Tracy Scott
- Yorkshire and North East Genomic Laboratory Hub, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Victoria Stinton
- North West Genomic Laboratory Hub (Liverpool), Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - James Tellez
- North East and Yorkshire Genomic Laboratory Hub, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Andrew J Wallace
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Kate Sahan
- The Ethox Centre and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Ethox Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Nina Hallowell
- The Ethox Centre and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Ethox Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Diana M Eccles
- Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
- Human Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Paul Pharoah
- Department of Medical Genetics, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marc Tischkowitz
- Department of Medical Genetics, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Antonis C Antoniou
- Department of Medical Genetics, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - D Gareth Evans
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
- Division of Evolution & Genomic Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Fiona Lalloo
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine and North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Gail Norbury
- South East Genomic Laboratory Hub, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Eva Morris
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - John Burn
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Steven Hardy
- NHS Digital, National Disease Registration Service, London, UK
| | - Clare Turnbull
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
- Cancer Genetics Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
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